This is my only fanfic...and it is not anime...it's X-MEN!!!!! Well if you are still interested...enjoy!

The Greatest Mind

Part One: A Warm Summer Day

What is the mind? Is it a place to store information or a passageway to a virtual world? I have always thought I was one of the most powerful minds on this planet, but I sure was wrong. What we are facing now is truly the horror of my imaginations. Here I am, alone with John, in this floating bubble, useless to the rest of our friends, who are slowly dying. What is this world coming to? What could I have done to protect everyone? Even though no one would blame me, I feel as if its all my fault.

Let me take you back to that sunny day in the backyard of the institute. It was one of the most beautiful summer days I have ever seen. The grass was green, the air was clean, and the sun felt soft and warm on my skin. All of the others were enjoying the nice day. Theres Aurora Monroe, the leader of our team. Shes there painting one of her masterpieces again. Shes also known as Snowy, daughter of Storm. Shes probably one of the gentlest people I know and definitely most artistic.

That guy coming up to her is Ben, also called Rogue. Hes her boyfriend. In a way, I envy her; she just seems to be perfect in every way.

Those two in the pool are the Summers siblings. Ashley Summers, otherwise known as Phoenix, is more on the bratty side. Shes almost the exact opposite of Snowy (Probably being of opposite elements). Her brother, John, has Jean Greys telepathy powers, plus some illusions. His nickname is Jean Grey, but Jean is pronounced with a French accent because thats how they spell John in French. Funny, isnt it.

The guy over there that is punching the big beanbag is Matt. Hes the older brother of Aurora, and son of Wolverine. He calls himself Werewolf. Hes on the pessimistic side f everything and is eager to fight it over with. I guess characteristics like that are genetic.

Oh, I almost forgot. Im Erica Xavier, daughter of Charles Xavier, the greatest mind ever. Theres a lot of pressure trying to follow his footsteps and carrying on the proud title. But its tough, since our parents were abducted by alien mutants as soon as we were born. I dont get it. I guess thats our goal in life: find and bring back our parents. Well, I know thats mine.

Hey Erica, a voice struck me out of my thinking mode. What do you think of my painting? It was Aurora, after she finished another one of her great works. They may not be Michael Angelo, but I never could have done something like that.

Beautiful, Aurora. Simply beautiful, I commented as she returned with a smile.

That afternoon was not the highlight of the day. It was that night, when the members of the X-Institute made the announcement that they will let us take a break for the next two months. Unless there is an emergency, we will be free to wallow in our own desires. The X-Institute is a group of mortals that look after us and train us. They work in the X-Project, which is secretly concealed away.

Although we were free, we still felt the need to stick together: we were the best of friends. We stayed in the empty institute, being so familiar wit the place. And that is when it started to happen...

Part Two: Nightmare

The wind blew into our dark rooms and danced with our curtains. It was one of the most peaceful nights with the loveliest scent in the air. It must have been something there that night that caused us all to have nightmares. The funny thing was that we all woke up, sweating, at the very same time. We held a small meeting for we thought this was very unusual.

My dream was weird, Ashley started the conversation. I was surrounded by water everywhere and my powers did not work at all. She then looked suspiciously at Aurora, since she is the warrior of water and ice.

I became totally weak and useless as people were dying before me, Ben said.

Isnt it weird that these types of visions are coming to us at this time? Aurora wondered. Does this actually mean something or is it just a shadow from all our hard work? Since this is the first time we get a break in a long time, dont you think it could have something to do with that?

It is pretty likely, I added. What was your dream?

Aurora looked at me for a second and then answered, The world was closing in on me.

Thats tough, John said, My nightmare involved me being trapped in a ball with no way out. My teleportation technique didnt work either.

This was definitely not a coincidence, but why did they all have dreams of dying or torture? Why is mine not like that at all?

Erica, whats your vision about? John asked.

Mine? I thought for a while, Mine is about my father and him encountering a more powerful mind, one that he destroyed before. Everyone came closer to listen to my story. Your mother, Jean Grey, and Charles Xavier used their powers to get into the virtual mind world. There they fought and closed the gate to this monster. They barely escaped from that...that thing. I dont understand why I would have this dream.

John was puzzled, thinking hard about what I just said. You say that our parents previously closed the gate, locking this monster in, I nodded. And this thing was put into the gate one time previous to that. I nodded again. Wouldnt it make sense that this thing could have escaped again?

And this thing is taking revenge on us, the decedents of the original X-Men, said Aurora.

Wait a second, Ashley thought, if they managed to defeat the thing in the virtual mind world, then we can go again.

Okay, then I guess John and I will go, I said.

Why dont you take us with you, suggested Ben, We could be of help. Besides, we have nothing better to do.

Are you sure about this, you could get killed, John explained.

Come on; let us join in the fun, Matt said proudly.

I stared at John and said, Okay, lets do this as a team. Little did I realize, but this was the biggest mistake I had ever made.

Part Three: Arrival

We all stood quietly in the meeting room. The fire was bright, creating dark shadows at the far corners of the room. We were all silent. All I could hear was the beating of my heart and the ticking of the clock. At a precise moment, we all joined hands. Closing our eyes and focusing our minds as to teleport to this world.

We all shouted at once, Transform. Light twirled around and we were ready for battle.

I focused my powers to the center of our circle. A stream of glowing glitter opened up before us. Our minds came out of our bodies and were quickly sucked into the vertex. The gate closed and our lifeless bodies fell to the ground.

It was as if we were traveling though a rainbow. All the glittering lights that passed by were like a magical world opening. I guess I had the wrong kind of world in mind. We soon landed and found ourselves on a deserted land. The ground was dark and dead, the air was polluted and toxic, and the place seemed to have been living once. There were buildings that have been destroyed and broken glass scatted on the ground. It just felt like the place had once came in contact with a powerful mutant. This I was sure of.

Welcome to my nightmare, a strange voice said.

Who are you? I asked. Whos there?

Boy, do you ask a lot of questions, he replied. Let me just remove your friends first.

The air formed clouds, which gathered around to form a hand. The hand gestured, as if it was lifting something. Seconds later, Snowy, Rogue, Phoenix, and Werewolf were lifted into the air. Jean Grey and I tried to telepathically bring them back down, but it was too late. The hand shook them away in different directions into the far reaches of this world.

Bring them back, yelled John. Let them go you...you monster.

Monster am I? he exclaimed, Well, Ill show you a monster. You will refer to me as the Shadow King. He them began to laugh. His face appeared in the clouds as his hand lifted us into the air. Our powers were useless against him. A sealed ball appeared, as if a bubble, sealing us inside. At that moment, I realized that we are facing the greatest mind.

Part Four: Diminish of the Flame

We were all separated from each other. They could not possibly last long. In this world, only the strongest mind can survive. I am worried about them, and here I am, useless.

I decided to check how the others were doing. I seem to see Ashley...

After falling from the sky, Phoenix scavenged around for the others. After finding no one around, she set off in one direction. Her stomach suddenly felt empty and her mouth dry. It was a very unusual place she was at. The land was empty, flat, and filled with sand and stones.

While she was walking, she didnt realize that something was following her. It was a large glob of darkness. Once in a while, it sparked. It was silent and made no shadow. Phoenix seemed to sense something, and turned around. The black glob was right there but for some reason she couldnt see it. It must be the Shadow King.

I wasnt able to contact her telepathically; I could only watch. She is being tricked and I had a feeling the Shadow King will attack really soon.

What is this world, Phoenix said to herself. Where are the others?

The proud Phoenix, is it? the same strange voice appeared behind. She turned around; realizing it was the one who separated them. Do you want something to eat? He smiled slightly as a plate of chicken and burgers and a glass of lemonade flouting in front of her.

Im not that easy to trick, she said and kicked the food out of sight. She then attacked using her fists of fire.

The Shadow King was not a good fighter and took every punch she threw. You will never win against me, he said laughing while his wounds healed right before her eyes.

Who are you? Why did you send those awful nightmares? Phoenix demanded.

Sorry if I scared you little girl, he answered, but those dreams were visions, visions of the future...and how you will die.

Her eyes were filled with fire. Im not a little girl, she whispered, I am the PHOENIX. She charged at him with all her might, but he disappeared right at that second. She stood there, alone. The air around her started to fog up and the ground turned white.

And I am the Shadow King, his voice echoed and he laughed insanely.

She jumped into the air, spun around while shooting fireballs in all directions. The mist cleared, but the ground cracked. The ground was ice. She had melted the ice around her and water flowed in. She then thought of her dream. Pictures of her drowning in her mind. In her fear and confusion, she tripped off the side of the small piece of ice she was standing on and fell into the depth of the sea.

She was too afraid to move, too weak to even breathe. The water destroyed the flame within her and everything went blank.

I was too shocked, too scared to tell her brother the horrible news. I looked at him. He was just sitting there. He looked at me. From the color of my eyes, he knew that something had happened. I didnt want to say it to him, so I sent him a few images telepathically.

His face turned pale. You know what this means, dont you? he finally said. Hes going to kill them, all of them in the same way as their dreams.

And thats why hes keeping us here, I said, so that we cant warn them.

He thinks of everything, doesnt he? Jean Grey slam his fists on the wall of the bubble.

I thought for a while, Its all my fault. I should have known that in this world only telepathically people and psychics could survive. I should have thought of it. I banged my head against the side.

Dont say that, he said. It is not your fault. These kinds of things happen and when it does, it just does. He then hugged me. I was surprised at how well he took the news and I wish I could be more like him. But I am sure he is all hiding it inside.

Part Five: Battle of Thunder

John and I sat there. We wanted to check on the others, but didnt want to see them dying. The clock ticked on in our heads, since there wasnt a clock here. We finally decided, what seemed like hours later, to find the others...

Werewolf, a stubborn-minded, keen-sensed animal, traced Phoenixs scent. He found her, lying dead on the ground. She was all wet, but there werent any water around. He flung her over his shoulders and head in the direction of Snowy and Rogue.

After walking for a long time, he found them. They were standing there, as if they were expecting him.

Oh, you brought her? Snowy said in a disgusted way.

What do you mean? he asked seriously. You werent expecting her?

Shes so weak. We just gave her a little bath, Rogue said arrogantly.

You arent the real Snowy and Rogue, are you? He yelled with anger.

Thats right, Snowy said and she and Rogue started to merge into one. Thats because I am you, said the incomplete figure. The figure then became him.

He dropped Phoenix on the ground and prepared to fight his fake self. Thunder bolt, he attacked. But the fake him was not affected. He had forgotten that he himself isnt affected by lightning. So the two battled with their metal armor.

They battled for more than 2 hours. No one was willing to give up this fight. Suddenly Werewolf got weak and he was stabbed by the fake one in the chest. The fake one laughed and disappeared into the air. He then realized that he had stabbed himself, but was too late to do anything about it. He fell to the ground, five feet away from Phoenix.

The vision was then cut off.

I woke at that moment, breathing heavily. I looked at Jean Grey. He had seen the whole thing as well. This is horrible, I said.

It looks like Snowy and Rogue are next, he said. Well, at least theyre together.

This Shadow King has good strategies, I said. He attacked the weakest minds first and then the stronger ones. Im sorry if I insulted your sister.

Thats okay, he said, she is pretty snobby. Good thing she didnt hear you or else she would punch your eyes out. We giggled a little, but then we went back to our straight faces.

What is there that we can do to protect Snowy and Rogue? All we can do is pray that they can make it.

The daylight slowly dimmed as the night moved in. I can see that Snowy and Rogue found a cave and rested for the night. We might as well sleep too. I think the Shadow King wanted a challenge to let us regain our energy. Let us rest today and head for the long tomorrow. We have spent a lot of energy using our powers to see them, but we need every clue to help us to get out of this horrible nightmare.

Part Six: World Closing In

The sun came up after a whole night. In my dreams, I could see Snowy and Rogue sleeping well, and when the rays of sunlight struck the pale skin of Snowy, she woke up instantly. She got up, leaving Rogue still snoozing in the cave.

She stretched and glazed upon the daring sun. She then wondered of the dangers ahead that day. Suddenly she saw the sun move down, and it set right before her. It turned back into the gray, rocky land, as it was yesterday. She ran into the cave and woke Rogue up.

This world is totally weird, she said to him. The sun went up this morning. And after a few minutes, it went back down.

You know, he started, I dont recall any sun yesterday. This world is completely controlled by that weird guy.

And we are just his pawns that he is playing with, she added. They sighed. We better warn the others. I wonder how theyre doing?

Okay, lets go, Rogue said. They stood outside. Rogue jumped into the air as Snowy lifted the air beneath her feet. They flew through the sky for many hours. They finally found drops of water.

After following the tiny drops on foot, they saw Phoenix lying on the ground, all wet. Next to her was Snowys brother, stained with blood and bruises everywhere. Rogue went up to see if they are still alive. Snowy stood then feet away, gasping for breath. Visions of her reign as the Snow Queen* flashed before her eyes. (*There was a period in Snowys life where she was the evil Snow Queen who killed thousands of people.)

She suddenly sensed something in another direction and walked there without saying a word. Where are you going, Snowy? Rogue asked.

She did not reply, just continued walking. There, in a ditch, she found the bodies of Erica and John.

Rogue, Rogue, come quick, she shouted. There was no answer. She turned around and saw him dead next to Phoenix and Werewolf. Rogue, no, she yelled.

Im right here, Snowy, Rogue said. Something strange is definitely happening to them. Then it suddenly hit me: it must be an illusion. Our dead bodies, death of Rogue, were all illusions of the Shadow King. The real Rogue is there, but Snowy cant hear or see him. Whats wrong with you, Snowy? Rogue called out again.

No, Rogue, no, she started crying and fell to her knees.

He went over to her and touched her shoulder. His hand went right through her. Snowy, whats happening to you?

She finally stood up and said to herself, Everyones gone. Phoenix, Werewolf, Xallia, Jean Grey, and now Rogue. Im probably next. She looked at them for one more time and then froze them in a thick layer of crystal ice. Forgive me, she said and flown up into the sky hoping to find the evil that she will need to face.

A cloud formed and the familiar face appeared, I am the king of all kings, the Shadow King. He then continued to laugh.

Whirlwind, she yelled as the wind around her attacked him. But he gasped his hands together and the wind stopped. Ice Blizzard, she tried again, but he blew it away with one sharp breath.

Why dont you try some of my power and feel the world closing in on you. From opposite sides of the sky, darkness slowly closed in. She fell back, her body straight and stiff. Her eyes turned gray as it was glued to the sky. She fell and fell and fell...

Part Seven: Power Suction

Snowy, Rogue yelled while flying up to support her. He caught her and gently dripped down to the ground. With his right hand supporting her, he ripped his left glove with his teeth. He then gently placed his hand across Snowys face. A glow came upon his hand and he became tired, but still determined. The dark shades of Snowys eyes healed.

She woke up and quickly removed his hand from her cheek. Rogue, Rogue, she yelled.

Snowy, he said as if he is just waking. You all right?

Thank you, Rogue," she said.

Listen, he began, Go, you must find Jean Grey and Xallia. They are still alive. All those images before were illusions made by the Shadow King. Go. Leave me here, you can come back later.

Im not leaving without you...

Go! he yelled. There was a period of silence.

I guess your right, Snowy said sadly, Our mission is to destroy this evil. Goodbye, Rogue. Rest well and save your strength. She stepped back and lifted herself into the air. She flew off with a glowing tail and blue sparkles.

You fool, a deep voice shuttled across the clouds. You are weak and pathetic. You will never beat me nor shall Snowy.

What...what have you done to her? he demanded while standing up.

Nothing yet, but soon she will be destroyed like you.

Why you, show your visible form, he yelled to the sky. Lightning crackled and on the ground rose a rather cubby person He wore jewels and armor in preparation to fight. Im sorry, Werewolf and Phoenix. I need to borrow your energy, he said and walked over to them. He touched them with his ungloved hand and drained the little energy left in them. He then took energy from the ground, but there was nothing to drain, only dead matter. Energy Suction. He jumped and touched the Shadow King, draining just a little of his power. Using his new power he saw Jean Grey and Xallia trapped in the bubble. He told Snowy where they were and told her to go there immediately, without turning back.

Now that the competition is fair, shall we begin? the Shadow King asked.

Lets get this show on a roll, he said. Power punch. He was hit but he did not give up. Ground tremble. He fell into the earth, but seconds later, resurfaced.

Try this. Illusion. It was all mist around them. Constrain. Something grabbed Rogue, as if it was pulling every muscle apart from his body. He fought it, but it was just too strong. He finally collapsed. All his energy was drained away.

The Shadow King cast a huge wind, swooping all three bodies up and flown away, heading for his next victim.

Part Eight: Melting of the Ice

Rogues gone, I said to John.

Snowys next. Her water powers are no match for him, he said.

I dont know. I believe the Shadow King saved her last because she was stronger than the others. Her mind is more developed, and her experience exceeds us all, I complained.

Your right, he said. This bubble is getting on my nerves. I laughed a little, but then went into a deep silence. How can I help her? Is our friends really dead or just in a nightmare? Then I started to believe they were gone...forever.

Snowy was still flying, as instructed by Rogue. She looked back for a second then hit something and fell. The mountains twisted and swirled until darkness was all that was left. She closed her eyes, thinking that it is not happening. She finally opened her eyes. She was in a strange world. An illusion for sure.

The Shadow King appeared before her, Are you ready to die too, like all your friends and like Rogue? He showed an image of him in a cloud.

She was shocked, but somehow she knew it would come. I guess its left to me to defeat you. Take this, Ice Blizzard. It scratched him, but he rapidly recovered. Mist, she yelled, Whirlwind. The attacks seemed to weaken him, but he still recovered from it.

Your muzzling powers are no match for me, little wind child, he said insultingly.

I am not a child. I am Snowy, daughter of Storm, guardian of water and leader of the X-men, her voice started to tremble though the sky. Her body lifted into the air, her hair flew with the rising wind. Her eyes turned into a glowing white. The clouds above turned dark and lightning struck across the sky. Light started to gather in both her hands. You have caused this nightmare and now I must end it, Tsunami*. Water flowed at full blast from her hands and from the sky. It charged at him in a straight beam of blue. (*New attack that she just got.)

Ultimate Nightmare Shadow, he yelled. The water was consumed by the dark shadow. It worked its way up and hit Snowy and she fell to the ground. Water sparkled everywhere and the battle has ended.

Snowy, I said faintly.

Its us now, John said.

Are we really the only ones left? I asked. Here we are, with nothing to do and nothing we could have done.

Im afraid this Shadow King is not going to be an easy target. His illusion powers are strong and frightening. If only we can get out of this bubble! he slammed his fist into the side of the bubble. It started to move. The bubble gently flouted down from the sky and it then disappeared.

Why would he let us land so delicately? Beware, this may be a trick, I said. The clouds in front of us started to move out of the way. A dark castle appears out of nowhere and it sends out vibes of evil and nightmare. Do we dare go in? Or should we take more time to prepare before our final battle?

Part Nine: For the Sake of Love

We stand there, in the cold winds, back to back. Then I scenced something: The Shadow King. Hes coming, I said, I feel his presence.

Too late for that. Im already here, the familiar voice says.

We are going to put you away once and for all, John says. Confusion.

That hardly scratched, he says. Nightmare Shadow.

Teleport.

Let me in the action, I say, Still.

He broke loose of the restraint. Minds eye. The power charged at me. I hold my hands in front trying to make a shield.

Invisible shield, John helps.

Telepathy, I yell.

He broke loose once more. Then he yells, Ultimate Nightmare Shadow.

I know this is a big one and so I use Mirror, while John uses Invisible Shield. The shadow is too great for our powers and goes through easily. Our world turns dark and we fall into a deep sleep.

John, I say, Where are you? I reach over to him and wakes him up. John, is this the end?

No, its not done until its done, he says.

But it is done. Oh, this is all my fault. If I had just convinced them to stay at home, they wouldnt die like this. If we never came to this world everything will still be fine. If... John pulls me into his arms.

Erika, he says, If this never have happened, then I would never feel this way about you.

I push away from him, What do you mean?

I mean...I was always so fortunate when I was with Windy*. (*Windy was a clone of Snowy who they thought was Snowy for many years. She was Johns girlfriend when she was killed by the evil Snowy.) When she left, somewhere in my heart wanted me to be with Snowy. But shes taken and I still feel that empty space there, in my heart, he points to his heart. Now...I fell fulfillment with you. I never thought of you that way because you were always like a sister. But, after the days in the bubble, I finally had time to think.

I smile at him. I like you too. We hug again.

Suddenly a light from our hearts flied into the sky. It create an opening to the mind world. Then the light disappear and we are back on the planet.

Our love must have brought us back, John says.

Just like the power Snowy and Rogue gets when each other is in trouble, I add.

What? How could you escape? The Shadow King yells in surprise, How could you possibly escape?

We are going to take you down, Jean Grey says. Confusion.

Telepathy.

There is improvement but it is not enough. Ultimate Nightmare Shadow. He yells and we fall to the ground.

Hes too powerful, I say and get up in pain. John gets up next to me. I wont let you win. For Phoenix, for Werewolf, for Snowy, for Rogue, for every ounce of light in our world. We will defeat you.

I grabbed Johns hand and started to concentrate all my power. For our parents, for Jean Grey, for Professor Xavier, I yell. A surge of light comes down from heaven and we flouted in it, still holding hands. And for the sake of love, I whisper. We turned into light. It heals our wounds, it makes us stronger.

The light suddenly diminish and we slowly lift down to the ground. Our outfits had turned into shiny new armor, much like our parents, with some modifications. From that I know, this is it. We will win.

Part Ten: I Dream...

The time has finally come. Everything is looking up for us. We cant lose, and we wont. Shadow King, I yell, You have tortured us for the last time. For I am XALLIA!

And I am JEAN GREY! he adds.

We focused our energy, light danced all around us.

Nightmare Shadow, he yells.

Physic*.

Illusion*. (*New attacks that they just got.)

Our beaming light destroys all the darkness in its path. The Shadow King yells in terror. Through the light, we can see his body ripping and his particles spreading into the air. The ground we stand on also scattered, but we floated in the darkness of space. There is no light, only the glowing of our powers.

We did it, he says happily, we really did it. I smile back at him briefly and then looked into the darkness. Whats wrong? he asks.

I sense something, an evil presence, I say. There was a pause. Its still out there. Hes watching us.

Suddenly, the air trembles. Thats right, I am still here. You cant get rid of me that easily. Ultimate Nightmare Shadow. It is too fast and too powerful. It comes and knocks us into a trend...

Wow, a garden. Where am I anyways? Hey, John. Do you know why we are here? Hes not moving. John? What, hes fading away. They are all fading away. Aurora, Ben, Ashley, Matt. Dont leave me!!! The garden, its disappearing. No! Darkness, no!

Did I always focus of the shadow of life? Have I never been optimistic? No, that cant be it. Then what does this all mean?

Hey, something is coming. Its me, when I was eight years old. I guess I am having a nightmare. Mommy, Daddy! She ran out of the room. Ill follow her. Mommy, Daddy? Oh poor thing. I guess I never had anyone to turn to and thats why I cant face this fear. Its gone now and Im in darkness again.

So what does this all mean? Is this support to help us in the battle against the Shadow King? What destroys nightmares? Of course...dreams! What are my dreams? I dream of peace and harmony. I dream of...John. I dream of all my friends and wish them back. I dream to finish this nightmare and to erase it from our minds. I dream of being the greatest mind in the whole universe. And I dream of meeting my parents someday. I dream...

My body starts to glow. It recovers itself and revives me from the dream. Outside of my mind, I can hear the Shadow King yelling. My dreams are destroying him. As long as we have a goal to reach in life, a dream to work for, we will overcome the shadow and have nothing to fear. Dreams are the light; the light that will cast the shadow away.

At that moment, a stronger burst of light shouts out of my mind and destroys the Shadow King. The nightmare is gone, peace returns.

I open my eyes. We all wake up from a mysterious nap.

What happened? Ashley says.

Didnt we go to the mind world? Aurora adds.

We did, but I guess we returned, Ben says.

This must mean that we defeated the evil and returned, Matt says.

But why dont I remember any of it? John asks.

How could they not remember anything? Of course, I wished that they forget the whole nightmare. Well, at least they are back. But what was with the new powers and that magical light? And that about John and I?

As I look at the lush grass and watch the others enjoying the sunshine, I realize how I would miss everything. As far as Im concerned, this is my family. I miss the ways they would disagree over silly little things and our team spirit. But most of all Ive learned that there will always be darkness, but they will not overcome us, as long as we have dreams.

The End.

I do not own X-men, Shadow King, and most of the plot line...but some of the characters are original...and also the sappy love and dream stuff are mine...hee hee